10 No-Fuss Ways to Recycle Electronics

Give your trusty tech gadgets a green send-off with our insider tips

The holidays bring an onslaught of spending opportunities, but the season's big-discount sales also bring huge opportunities to save—especially on big-ticket electronics. For those of us with our eyes on a new flat-screen TV or cutting-edge DVD player, there's no better time to trade in our old models (or to request one from Santa). But what do you do with all the trusty old gadgets that have just been replaced? More often than not, our old electronics get tossed in a box, drawer or trash bin without a second thought. But you can earn karma points—or cold, hard cash—if you know how to recycle your tech items properly. There are plenty of ways to give your old goods a "green" sendoff—and most don't require money or heavy lifting. Read on to find out which one works best for you.

Best Buy

Worried about what to do with that old refrigerator? Purchase something new from Best Buy and have it delivered, and the retailer will remove your old appliance and recycle it at no additional charge. That should save your wallet (and back) from some strain. Across the board, Best Buy has one of the best electronics recycling programs. They accept a lot of the same types of electronics that they sell: TVs, appliances and computer equipment. Cell phones, batteries and ink-jet cartridges can be dropped off in any store and recycled free-of-charge. Computer hardware, fax machines, audio components, DVD players and other equipment are only accepted during recycling events, which can be found on the retailer's website. bestbuy.com/recycling

Office Depot

Basement filled with boxes brimming with unused gadgets banished to the electronics underworld? Office Depot can take it off your hands—and give you back some of that precious storage space. If you have items you want to junk, purchase a special box ($5 to $15) at any Office Depot store and stuff it with as many electronics as it will fit. From there, the retailer works with a recycling partner to turn that trash into reusable materials such as glass, copper, plastic and aluminum. Just don't waste that box space on phones, rechargeable batteries or ink cartridges; stores will take those items for free (they even offer a $3 coupon toward future ink and toner purchases if you recycle old cartridges.) The retailer also has a Tech Trade-In program, which is free and offers Office Depot credit for old electronics; check officedepot.com/techtradein to see if any of your cast-off items are eligible for trade-in. officedepot.com/techrecycling

Costco

Ketchup, paper towels and cereal aren't the only things Costco offers in bulk. They also provide customers store credit for the pounds of computers, phones, gaming systems, TVs and other items they recycle. Simply go to Costco's website and enter the item you wish to discard. You are responsible for packaging, but shipping charges are prepaid by Costco's recycling partner GreenSight. If the device still has value, you can send it in and receive a Costco Cash Card. If not, the retailer can point you in the direction of local recycling services, and even provide fee info, if applicable. costcotrades.greensight.com

Flipswap

There are plenty of stores and services that want to take your old phone off your hands. Few, however, want to give you cash for your old trusty handheld. Enter Flipswap. Go to the service's website, enter your zip code and they'll list over 4,000 U.S. merchants where you can take your old phone or iPod in for store credit. Not interested in what's offered? Flipswap can also issue a printable prepaid postage label. Send in the phone, and if it's everything you said it is, they will send out a check—to you or the charity of your choice. The "average phone" brings in about $30, with most being refurbished and sold outside the U.S. If they can't reuse it, they'll recycle it—plus they'll plant a tree as a bonus. flipswap.com

Direct to Manufacturers

Pleased with your Sony purchase? They are one of the many manufacturers that offer recycling to its customers. Companies such as Sony, Toshiba, Apple, Gateway, HP and Panasonic all offer some type of recycling service, and most also offer trade-in values for working units. Plus, even if they don't give you credit toward the next purchase, many manufacturers will pick up the tab on most or all of the shipping and recycling costs—even when it comes to getting rid of a competitor's product. Dell even offers at-home pickup. Check your favorite manufacturer's website to see what recycling options are offered.

Reconnect

Almost half of the country's Goodwill locations will take old computers. But don't expect them to end up on shelves for resale; most actually get recycled via the nonprofit's Reconnect program. Reconnect will accept any brand of computer or peripheral (printer, monitor, scanner, etc.); all you need to do is drop off old equipment at one of the participating locations during regular business hours. It's a good idea to get rid of personal info that may be on your computers; search the web for a variety of free data-wipe programs you can download, such as KillDisk, Sure Delete and Eraser. After all, if the unit is in good working condition, it may end up with a new owner. Either way, the proceeds from parts or units sold are put back into job training programs. reconnectpartnership.com

Gazelle

Cell phone services love to tempt you with an upgrade. One thing they don't do is offer cash back for your old handheld. Gazelle will take that phone, computer, MP3 player, camera, GPS, gaming console, satellite radio and even Blu-ray DVDs. Go to the company's website, enter some basic info about your offering, and Gazelle will give you a value for that item. Most items qualify for a free box, but all are guaranteed free shipping. Once the transaction is processed, Gazelle can cut you a check, deposit the cash into your PayPal account or donate the money to one of 30 featured charities. Even if it turns out that your old friend has no market value, they will still help you recycle it properly. gazelle.com

TechForward

Most tech purchases have a limited warranty. However, TechForward allows you to create a two-year insurance program to guarantee that your purchase will be worth something down the line. Get your gadget from any retailer, register on the TechForward site and purchase a Guaranteed Buyback plan. Once you decide to upgrade or toss your purchase, TechForward will pay a predetermined trade-in value for up to two years after the point of sale. For the first six months, you'll get 50% of the purchase price. Between six and 12 months, you can collect 40%. TechForward then reuses or recycles each product. Program prices start under $20 for two years of service. techforward.com

The National Cristina Foundation

It's clear there are plenty of companies willing to recycle your electronics. The National Cristina Foundation, however, wants to give your computers, peripherals and software a second life. This nonprofit takes your computer donations and turns them into hope for schools, people with disabilities, and those just in need of a little help. (They even provide some computer training.) Go online to enter information about equipment that you'd like to donate, and Cristina workers will place your donation with one or more of its partner organizations. Donations can be shipped, picked up or dropped off; the organization has needs in all 50 states as well as abroad. cristina.org

Freecycle

The old adage that your trash is someone's treasure is proven well in the power of Freecycle. With over 6 million members worldwide, someone is bound to want what you don't. Sign up in your local area and offer up whatever gadget or other item you might have hogging house space. Then just kick back, and watch the flood of e-mails come in. Decide if you want to go the "first come, first serve" route or see if someone has a story to share. From there, you can have the interested party pick up your item or offer to meet in a public spot, such as a library. Whatever you decide, you must be willing to part with your item for free. It may not be charity, but you aren't adding to a landfill, either. freecycle.org

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